This is a simple question, I'm trying to get my head around how FTN's work.

When your BBS polls a hub, and obtains newer messages, how does the sender
know which messages are newer?

For example, I run mis poll at 3PM then again at 6PM. I'm wondering how the sender knows it is messages in the last three hours it needs to send.

I never set up a specific account with the BBS I'm polling. Does the sender remember what it has sent to that specific node number? Or does the client
(my BBS for example) send a timestamp of when it last polled.

I could understand if as part of this process, unique information (such
as a login) is being sent, but I didn't set any such thing up. I followed Avon's YouTube guide.


Cheers!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/11/06 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

Hello boraxman!

On 05 Jan 2022, boraxman said the following...

When your BBS polls a hub, and obtains newer messages, how does the
sender know which messages are newer?

It's all a matter of subscriptions -- your hub is subscribed to all echomail areas that you want (have subscribed to), and when it receives a new message (from wherever it came from), it checks which of its downlinks/downstream nodes (e.g. you) that should get a copy, and stores a copy for those in its outbound folders (on disk). So when you poll your hub, the hub simply checks in its outbound folders if there are any files stored for your node, and, if so, delivers those to you, and then removes them.

Best regards
Zip

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Star Collision BBS, Uppsala, Sweden (21:1/202)

On 01-05-22 18:50, boraxman wrote to All <=-

This is a simple question, I'm trying to get my head around how FTN's work.

When your BBS polls a hub, and obtains newer messages, how does the
sender know which messages are newer?

For example, I run mis poll at 3PM then again at 6PM. I'm wondering
how the sender knows it is messages in the last three hours it needs to send.

Each end packs up messages as they are posted for the relevant systems. When (say) your BBS polls the hub, it simply picks up the mail thats bundled up and waiting for it.

I never set up a specific account with the BBS I'm polling. Does the sender remember what it has sent to that specific node number? Or does the client (my BBS for example) send a timestamp of when it last
polled.

No need to, because outstanding mail is in the outbound area waiting to be picked up.



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